Description of Historic Place

Washington's Restaurant is a three-storey Italianate brick commercial building on the west side of Charlotte Street within the Trinity Royal Preservation Area of the City of Saint John.

Heritage Value

Washington's Restaurant is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture and for its association with the different businesses that have occupied the premises.

Washington's Restaurant is recognized for being one of a collection of commercial Italianate buildings that were built between 1877 and 1881 after two thirds of the City of Saint John were destroyed by the fire in 1877. The brick architecture sent a message that the city would be more fire resistant in the future. The elements and the design of this building demonstrated the will of the citizens that the city was going to be rebuilt as well or better than the city that was lost. Washington's Restaurant is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture from the rebuilding period following the fire.

Charlotte Street was primarily the social and leisure centre of Saint John near the turn of the 20th century. Washington’s Restaurant shares many similar architectural features with the building to the south and after their construction together they played a historic part in the food and beverage services during this period in Saint John.

Washington’s Restaurant is also recognized through some of the occupants that have conducted their business here. The original occupants were a wallpaper dealer, a blinds dealer, and the restaurant of George Sparrow. George Sparrow's restaurant was soon taken over by Thomas Washington. Washington kept a barber shop in the city until 1880 when he succeeded George Sparrow in this building. After Washington’s death in 1897, his widow carried on the restaurant for some years later.

The upper floors of Washington’s Restaurant were used as a boarding house named Prescott House and Mr. Washington was the proprietor. Near the beginning of the First World War, the restaurant was transformed into a billiard parlour. The Ideal Billiard Parlour remained in operation at this location for 58 years.

Aside from the two enterprises listed above, Washington’s Restaurant was being used as a clothing department and shoe store. Ben Goldstein moved his music shop here in the late 1950's and remained here until the mid 1970's.

Source: Planning and Development Department - City of Saint John

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Washington’s Restaurant include:
- same set-back as neighbouring buildings;
- corbel bands;
- projecting central bay;
- decorative brickwork;
- connecting sandstone lintels spanning the width of the building;
- peaked and decorative second storey lintels;
- oversized and decorative lintels over the windows in the central bay;
- detailed bracketed cornice;
- wooden fascia;
- cast-iron pilasters on both sides of the central entrance;
- recessed entranceway in northern entrance;
- transom windows;
- wooden bulkheads.

The character-defining elements that emulate the building to the south include:
- corbel bands;
- recessed brick between second and third floors;
- peaked lintels on second floor with rounded lintel in centre bay;
- flat lintels on third floor;
- colour scheme in storefront;
- cornice and bracket concept in storefront.
- central bay separating symmetrical outer bays.